Disclaimer: The characters and their memories still belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 2: I've Been Waiting To Show Her
Hermione gasped as she found herself back in the train compartment. Next to her, Ron had sat down heavily on the floor, and across from her, Harry was studiously avoiding her gaze. After a moment, Harry stood up and muttered something about finding the snack cart. Ron and Hermione watched him leave in silence.

Next to the clear horror of Harry's memories, the reality of the Hogwarts Express seemed somehow blurred to Hermione. She realized that for the second time that day, tears were pouring unchecked down her face. She took a few slow breaths and began to collect her thoughts.

She had been prepared for what she'd seen – after all, Harry had told them both his side of the events that night. But she had not truly thought that Harry's memories would intensify the feeling that Snape's actions weren't as easily explainable as they seemed.

Snape had communicated feelings to her instead of stunning – or killing – both her and Luna. By leaving them with Flitwick Snape had made certain both that Flitwick would be revived and tended to, and that Hermione would be kept out of the action upstairs.

Snape had killed Dumbledore; as shocked as she had felt when she first heard the news, Hermione had never doubted the truth of what Harry had told them. But now much more was clear to her. Dumbledore had never had a chance – even if Malfoy never really had it in him to go through with murder, and Hermione knew now that he didn't, another of the three Death Eaters would have done it if Snape hadn't. And if Snape hadn't done it, the Death Eaters certainly would have killed him right there. No, Snape had had no choice. The look of revulsion on his face when he looked at Dumbledore did not reflect his feelings for the man, but for the deed he was about to commit. It was almost the exact expression Harry had worn while forcing the potion down Dumbledore's throat.

What struck Hermione even more strongly, however, was the look that Snape and Dumbledore had shared. It was the same piercing gaze Snape had given her, but this time the pleading was on both sides of the look. Dumbledore had been pleading with Snape. "Severus, please…" Hermione felt sick as she realized what he had been asking: not for mercy, but for death.

Hermione choked back a sob and fought the burning sickness rising in her throat. For the second time that day, she felt Ron's arms wrap around her, and for the second time she clung to his chest, trying to think only about the steady sound of his heartbeat.

They sat there until Hermione's breathing had gone back to something resembling normal. She felt Ron's heartbeat begin to speed up, and raised her head to find him looking intently into her face. For the first few seconds after he started to kiss her, Hermione forgot about the things she had seen in Harry's memory, forgot about the look Snape had given her, forgot they were at war against an enemy who had nothing to lose.

As the train went around a bend and they were thrown off balance, both Hermione and Ron seemed to remember where they were. As memories flooded back into Hermione, she realized that as much as she wanted to do nothing but savor all the implications of Ron finally coming to his senses, there was a much more important task at hand.

She folded a hand around Ron's jawline and smiled into his eyes. "Maybe we should pick this up sometime… and somewhere… a little more private," she whispered, tilting her head toward the compartment door.

Ron grunted a mixed sound of unwillingness and assent, and Hermione jumped primly up onto a seat just as Harry pushed his way back into the compartment.

"All right, Harry?" Hermione asked softly.

"Yeah," Harry attempted to smile. Ron looked uncomfortable and started talking very quickly about the new broom models that were going to be released that summer; Hermione wondered how much of the reason was how close they had come to being discovered sprawled on the floor, and whether he actually remembered the reason Harry had been upset in the first place.

As the boys continued their mystifying Quidditch conversation, Hermione let her thoughts drift back to Snape's actions. Was there anything else that could point to his remaining secretly on the side of the Order, or was she just deluding herself due to a too-deeply held belief that teachers could do no wrong?

The events that took place atop the tower would have played out the same way no matter which side Snape was on, Hermione decided. Without finding out what was communicated mentally between Snape and the Headmaster, she couldn't know for sure. Hermione thought about what Snape had done on his retreat from the school.

He hadn't killed or even hurt anyone, as far as Harry's memory showed. The Death Eaters with him had blasted Hagrid's hut and attacked Harry, but Snape had actually tried to stop them doing that. Claiming that Harry was for the Dark Lord alone to deal with could be the truth, but could as well be a convenient way of shielding Harry.

Snape had been furious, that much was certain. But he had just killed the greatest wizard of the age (on that wizard's orders?), and then the son of his old rival had called him a coward. And instead of retaliating, Snape had blocked Harry's attacks and chided him for his inability to cast nonverbal spells and to close his mind. Hermione thought back to exactly what Snape had said. Were his insults any different from those he doled out to wayward students in his classroom? In a way they were: in the classroom he berated Harry for mistakes, but out on the grounds that night, Snape had laughed at Harry's inability to compete with the Dark Lord, and then told him what he had to do to change that.

Snape had identified Harry's greatest weaknesses, and warned him about them. Snape had kept Harry from performing the Dark magic that his rage had driven him to attempt, and then Snape had shown Harry what he must work on to even have a chance at defeating Voldemort. Only a very stupid loyal Death Eater – or a brilliant triple-crosser – would do something like that.

Hermione felt even more strongly now that she was right about Snape, but she knew at the same time that there was no proof, and that anybody who wanted to remain prejudiced against Snape would find it very easy to ignore or explain away any indications of his goodness. She knew which memory she had to find. The only question was whether Dumbledore had saved it.

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A/N: edited to remove Hermione's knowledge of the Unbreakable Vow. Many thanks to Possum132 for catching that.